It is well known that bath cabinets may be surface or recess mounted. A surface mounted bath cabinet is secured directly to the surface of a wall. Whereas, a recess mounted bath cabinet has its body recessed within the wall.
When a bath cabinet is surface mounted, the frame and mirrored door stand away from the wall to which the cabinet is mounted by the depth of the body of the cabinet. Consequently, the sides, bottom and top of the cabinet, as well as some of the hardware by which the cabinet is mounted, are exposed to view. In such situations, it is desirable that the side and bottom of the cabinet be masked, or hidden from view, and finished in an aesthetically pleasing manner. The top of the cabinet, because it is ordinarily well above eye level, is of no particular concern aesthetically.
Recess mounted bath cabinets normally are not a problem aesthetically, since the body and hardware of the cabinet is positioned within the wall, they are not in plain view.
Consequently, in the bath cabinet field, there exists a need for a bath cabinet which can be easily adapted to be either surface or recess mounted without sacrificing aesthetics. There further exists a need for a bath cabinet which can be quickly and efficiently converted between a surface or recess mount.
Whether a bath cabinet is surface or recess mounted, it is desirable to provide a light fixture adjacent the face of the cabinet. When the bath cabinet is recess mounted this is easily accomplished, since the light fixture can be mounted to the surface of the mounting wall adjacent the face of the cabinet. However, when the cabinet and light fixture are both surface mounted, problems are created because the light fixture is normally positioned behind the face of the cabinet, thereby reducing the amount of light which is dispersed to the surrounding area.
Therefore, in the light fixture and bath cabinet field there exists a need for a light fixture which can be mounted adjacent the face of a surface mounted bath cabinet. There further exists a need for a light fixture which can be mounted on such a bath cabinet without exposing mounting hardware to view. In addition, there exists a need for a light fixture which is easily assembled, does not expose hardware to view and is aesthetically pleasing.
The present invention provides a bath cabinet and light fixture which can be efficiently converted between a surface or recess type mount. In the surface type mount, the sides of the cabinet are masked and finished by mirrored panels providing the appearance of extensions of the mirrored door or related to it in design. The bottom of the cabinet is finished by a unobjectionable plain panel or bottom member.
The present invention further provides an easily assembled light fixture which is disposed adjacent the face of the bath cabinet, wherein the sides of the bath cabinet and light fixture are masked and finished by mirrored panels, such that mounting hardware and the like are not exposed to view. The mirrored panels, bottom panel, light fixture and associated hardware can be supplied as a "kit", for ease of installation and use.